Hello! I was wondering if you could share your experience with me, because I am nosy, and feel like these are the kind of questions that I should be asking before any sort of pregnancy becomes a reality.

What the fuck is childbirth like?

Is it *really* as horrific as people say? How does it compare to, say, really bad menstrual cramps? Because, I mean....I struggle with them. Is it like, the worst pain you've ever had? If it IS that bad, how do you cope without giving up on life?

Can you sleep when you're in labour? Can you eat or drink anything? I've heard of people taking 24 hours from start to finish. How would you not eat for that long?!??! Does the epidural help? It looks terrifying.

What do you wish someone had told you before you had the baby?

I've tried looking online for this kind of stuff and all I can find are people going "well yes it's very hard BUT THEN YOU HAVE THE BABY AND EVERYTHING IS RAINBOWS". Ok. Maybe that's true. But I strongly suspect that they glossing over A L O T.

I asked a close friend a few weeks after she gave birth and she just said in a haunted voice "...It was horrible" and promptly changed subjects.